New Bedford Bay Sox to take on Canadian Junior National Team

The Canadian Junior National Team will be making a stop at Paul Walsh Field on Tuesday for an exhibition baseball game with the New Bedford Bay Sox of the New England Collegiate Baseball League as part of their New England Summer Tour.

The Canadian Junior National Team will be making a stop at Paul Walsh Field on Tuesday for an exhibition baseball game with the New Bedford Bay Sox of the New England Collegiate Baseball League as part of their New England Summer Tour.

The Canadian team is hitting three NECBL cities on the tour that is preparing the team for the International Baseball Federation 18U World Cup, which starts on Aug. 30 in Taiwan. The Canadians are the reigning silver medalists in the event.

Seven of the Canadian players were drafted in Major League Baseball’s draft in June, four of them as 17-year-olds.

One of those drafted players is Cal Quantrill, son of former Boston Red Sox pitcher Paul Quantrill, whose MLB career lasted 14 years. Paul Quantrill was also a pitching coach for the Canadian team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Cal Quantrill, a right-handed pitcher, was selected by the New York Yankees in the 26th round. He, however, is officially committed to play baseball next year at Stanford University.

Chris Reitsma, a former major league pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta braves and Seattle Mariners, is the pitching coach for the team. Reitsma played seven years in the majors and was a first-round draft pick of the Red Sox in 1996.

Other Canadian players to watch are Morgan Lofstrom (Reds, 20th round), Daniel Procopio (Mets, 22) and Owen Spiwak (Mets, 26). First baseman Josh Naylor, who just turned 16, is also opening some eyes.

The Bay Sox, under the direction of manager Rick Miller, a former Red Sox outfielder, find themselves 3.5 games out of the final playoff spot with an 8-13 mark in the Eastern Division.

As part of the Brian’s Buddies program, named after former Boston Red Sox pitcher Brian Rose, 40 kids from the Fall River Boys & Girls Club have been invited to watch the game free of charge and will also be taking part in various events throughout the game.